Optionist and Non-Optionist Teachers’ Use of Strategies for Teaching English Literature:

Is There a Common Ground?

Abstract

The objectives of this qualitative study are to discover the strategies employed by optionist and non-optionist teachers in teaching English literature and to determine whether there is any common ground in their use of the strategies. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted on four English teachers—two optionist and two non-optionist—who had been teaching secondary school English for more than ten years. Ten (10) themes on instructional strategies emerged from the interview data highlighting the teachers’ use of student-centred learning activities such as brainstorming, role playing and group work, dictionary use, repetition, code-switching and extensive questioning. The non-optionist teachers appear to rely quite frequently on getting students to understand literary texts through the use of dictionaries and alternating between English and the students’ mother tongue, while the optionist teachers prefer to opt for strategies that demand students to be more independent in learning. The findings found considerable common ground between the optionist and non-optionist teachers despite their dissimilar training and qualifications. Interestingly enough, both groups of teachers believed in active student-centred strategies to stimulate students’ interest in English literature and in empowering highly proficient students towards more independent learning of the subject. The findings pave the way for a more in-depth investigation into how the Ministry of Education can help non-optionist teachers to improve their use of English literature teaching strategies.